1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pneumatic guns. More specifically, this invention relates to a paintball marker.
2. Description of the Related Art
This invention relates to pneumatic paintball markers, which typically are used for target practice and in mock war games. The markers use a compressed gas, such as air or nitrogen, to propel spherical projectiles called paintballs out of the barrel of the device. Paintballs are typically comprised of a colored liquid enclosed in a fragile gelatin casing. The paintballs are designed to rupture upon impact to mark the target.
In the sport known as “Paintball”, the spherical projectiles containing colored liquid are fired at an opponent and burst upon contact so that the colored liquid is deposited on the opponent scoring a hit for the combatant. All the participants involved in the sport are required to wear an abundance of protective gear, so that the paintballs cannot hit vital parts of the player's anatomy.
A hopper is usually attached to a top surface of the marker for holding paintballs. The hopper and marker share a common passageway by which paintballs pass from the hopper to the breech of the paintball marker. In this way paintballs can be continuously fed to the marker using gravity while playing the sport of paintball. A drawback to having a hopper located on the top of the marker is the hopper can impair the combatant's view during play as well as provide a conspicuous target for the other team or opposing combatants to shoot even when the player's body is hidden from view.
The sport of paintball has become very popular within a relatively short period of time, but there is still a need for a pneumatic paintball marker with improved features.